BABY FORD Schallplatten & CDs

Review: It's over 25 years since Baby Ford decamped to the studio with, alternately, Mark Broom and the late Ian 'Eon' Loveday to re-examine the depths and possibilities of collaborative underground techno. The result, as we now know, was a giant step forward into a new sound, with a new label, Ifach, that would go on to define the blueprint for a more minimal sound it would take others a decade emulate. Monolense, four bittersweet, emotional, stripped bare explorations of techno has long been sought-after, commanding high prices on the secondhand market, and is finally getting a re-release. This is not just a moment in time, but a bookmark in UK techno history.

Review: Seminal reissue alert! Baby Ford had already been a chart-baiting acid house superstar by the time he launched the PAL SL label in 1996. He'd left behind the major label scene and moved firmly back into the underground with exploratory techno releases on Ifach and collaborations with Mark Broom. This new label marked a shift for Ford though, setting him up for the trips into minimalist club tracks that have been his bread and butter for decades now. From the machine soul trysts of "Slow Hand" to the woozy techno thrust of "Tall For His Height" and the atmospheric house wriggle of "Kez", this release is a classic through and through. Beat the sharks and nab a copy of this long out-of-print gem.